Kanuri - History and Cultural Relations

Although there are semilegendary views about early Kanuri roots in
Yemen, little is known of the earliest phases of Kanuri culture.
Contemporary Kanuri are the descendants of the ruling Saifawa family of
the Kanem Empire. As a result of civil war, this family left Kanem in
the fourteenth century and, after nearly a century of internal strife,
established a new empire southwest of Lake Chad. This empire was and is
known as Bornu, although Borno is now its official name. The area to
which the Saifawa moved was inhabited by various peoples about whom
little is known. Now they are known collectively as the
Sau—reputedly a race of giants. For a period of several
centuries, the efforts of the Saifawa to consolidate their power and
expand their kingdom's boundaries led to the incorporation of
many distinctive groups within Kanuri society. This process has not
ended. Intermarriage, commerce, politics, and other factors have
combined to produce a people who are culturally heterogeneous.

The Kanuri have had a strong influence on surrounding peoples, which
include the Budum of Lake Chad, the Mandara and Kotoko (or Mogori) who
live southeast of the Kanuri, the Marghi of the Damboa district, the
Babur in the hills south of the Kanuri, the Bolewa located southwest of
the Kanuri, and the Bede of Gashua, within the Kanuri territory. All of
these groups have acquired various aspects of Kanuri culture, mainly the
Kanuri language and Islam. Many, including the Hausa, were at one time
subjects of the Kanuri Empire.

User Contributions:

Hello there is no any commend, im a student presentily in university of Maiduguri, Maiduguri Bornu State Nigeria. I'm foculty of Art Departement of History so plase i need more detail on origine of Kanuri where their came from. Thank you

A point of correction for CManga; the prevalence of Semitic DNA in the Kanuri is a relatively recent development (as an effect of their Islamization), it not an ancient genetic component. The Kanuri have more of a genetic affiliation with other Afro-Asiatic groups from the Chadic as well as Berber branches (namely the Hausa, Mafa, and Tuareg respectively) as well as Nilo-Saharans such as the Songhai.

One thing about this article however is that it fails to mention how the Kanuri and their brother ethnic groups (ie Kotoko) descend from the Sao Civilization (found near lake Chad by Cameroon/Chad border). Studies show that the site flourished around the 6th Century BCE; and was inhabited long before that. It has even been concluded by some that the Sao civilization is the legendary country known as "Agisymba" to Greek scholars/geographers such as Ptolemy. Apparently, Sao/Agisymba was subdued by the Garamantes empire established by the Berbers after prolonged fierce battles. The Kanuri were NOT influenced by Arabs. They are purely INDIGENOUS/NATIVE in every sense of the word. Please avoid 'Arabizing' Black civilizations, it gets us nowhere and it doesn't pay credit where it is properly due!

The Kanuris trace their origin to the kanem-Barnu empire in the 16th and 17th century that spanned most of middle Africa until colonization. Presently,they can be found in Borno state, Niger state as well as part of Chad and Cameroon.

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